The 10th edition of the acclaimed Sharjah Biennial will take place March 16 through May 16, 2011.

SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.- The Sharjah Art Foundation announces 119 artists and participants from 36 countries across the globe to partake in Plot for a Biennial, the 10th edition of the acclaimed Sharjah Biennial, March 16 through May 16, 2011. One of the oldest and most respected contemporary art events in the Middle East, the Sharjah Biennial has nurtured the creativity and collaboration of artists, arts organizations, and institutions throughout the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) and internationally since 1993. For the occasion of Plot for a Biennial, the Sharjah Biennial has commissioned approximately 65 new works for a cutting-edge presentation of visual art, film, music, performance, video and publication. The 2011 artists and participants were selected by Plot for a Biennial Co-Curators Suzanne Cotter (Curator, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project) and Rasha Salti (Creative Director ArteEast), and Associate Curator Haig Aivazian (Chicago-based independent curator, artist and writer).

Expanding on the geographic reach and focus of previous Sharjah Biennials, Plot for a Biennial merges what have traditionally been parallel formats of exhibition, film and performance into a multivalent sequence of encounters that extend from the Sharjah Art Museum to Sharjah's historic Heritage Area, and sites throughout the city. The 2011 Sharjah Biennial will feature work by 119 artists, filmmakers, choreographers, writers, publishers and musicians, working individually and collaboratively, from Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. *Please see below for a list of confirmed artists and participants. A final list will be released in January 2011.

Sharjah Art Foundation President H.H. Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi stated, "With Sharjah Biennial 10 we celebrate twenty years of supporting the production and presentation of art in the region. Over the years we have been privileged to work with a wide range of artists and institutions which have helped us contribute to what is now the solid foundation of a robust cultural landscape with reverberations across the Middle East and internationally."

Jack Persekian, Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, added, "This edition of the Biennial not only engages with the fabric of the city of Sharjah, but will also explore the broader historical, political and aesthetic terrain that underpins this year's Plot for a Biennial. While the scope of the Biennial has grown and developed over the years, its work remains at the heart of the Sharjah Art Foundation's mission, initiatives and programs."